tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.comments2023-07-27T14:49:37.837-07:00Back in the LabyrinthSean Robsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comBlogger1344125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-88440269937807408242023-07-27T14:49:37.837-07:002023-07-27T14:49:37.837-07:00Thanks, Trey. Great to hear from you !Thanks, Trey. Great to hear from you !Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-2798974184668420592023-07-27T12:59:00.154-07:002023-07-27T12:59:00.154-07:00Sounds like a good approach. I've become enamo...Sounds like a good approach. I've become enamored in the last couple of years with nonstandard ways to approach attributes, but there's also something to be said for just refining the standard array.Treyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-27564297562393980812022-01-07T14:35:09.597-08:002022-01-07T14:35:09.597-08:00Wow, I never expected to receive a comment on such...Wow, I never expected to receive a comment on such an old post! With respect to why I used Whitebox as a comparison - that was the only version of S&W I had at that time, though I did eventually buy the core rules book as well. Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-58702716193765783422022-01-07T12:16:26.295-08:002022-01-07T12:16:26.295-08:00I'm a fan of both games you're comparing. ...I'm a fan of both games you're comparing. Both are excellent; and you are correct- they inherently "scratch different iches". Which is why I think you may have missed the target a bit by selecting White Box instead of Core for Swords and Wizardry. Core was designed to match more the play style of B/X. If someone were looking for that vibe, they'd pass right over White Box. Core has the 4 iconic classes, variable weapons damage (although, you missed that White Box DOES have variable damage; just more limitedly- it goes from 1D6-1 through 1D6+1), Etc. Personally, I prefer White Box for the Original Game, and I prefer Labryth Lord (slightly) over Core for my B/X moods.Russ Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09624660952101282477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-77576156140308205782021-11-18T16:55:30.447-08:002021-11-18T16:55:30.447-08:00Yeah, I agree...I managed to pick up the Chaosium ...Yeah, I agree...I managed to pick up the Chaosium TW set a couple years back and it's quite a product. Nice maps, too.<br />: )JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-73011831596105318042021-11-18T13:51:02.496-08:002021-11-18T13:51:02.496-08:00Thanks, JB! I'm definitely inspired by my fav...Thanks, JB! I'm definitely inspired by my favourite sword & sorcery stories such as Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, Conan, and Thieves World. I was even planning on using the old Thieves World boxed set by Chaosium, and plunking Sanctuary somewhere on the southwest arm of the star. The great thing about that set is that has character stats for just about every popular game of that time, including Tunnels & Trolls.Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-58332303893826328202021-11-18T09:00:59.133-08:002021-11-18T09:00:59.133-08:00Glad your health woes got fixed...best wishes goin...Glad your health woes got fixed...best wishes going forward!<br /><br />The starfish continent looks great, and it sounds like your game's off to a banging start; very reminiscent of a Thieves World tale which (in my mind) is always a good thing. Will be interested to see how the thing develops.<br />: )JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03263662621289630246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-32730567942614142162021-11-18T07:04:36.030-08:002021-11-18T07:04:36.030-08:00Thanks, Trey! I'll be posting more regularly ...Thanks, Trey! I'll be posting more regularly now that I'm gaming again.Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-84470033087568456412021-11-18T04:52:53.136-08:002021-11-18T04:52:53.136-08:00Welcome back!Welcome back!Treyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-63899019189751663452021-10-14T19:27:02.156-07:002021-10-14T19:27:02.156-07:00Excellent! Thanks for the write up.Excellent! Thanks for the write up.NMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01433382964136622475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-88481574622679020252020-08-10T14:51:46.054-07:002020-08-10T14:51:46.054-07:00Nobody has mentioned that humans would generally b...Nobody has mentioned that humans would generally be shorter in a fantasy setting, as was the case in real world history, due to malnourishment and disease. The old illustrations make humans look far too statuesque. Even mythological dwarves should compare better in height with shorter humans.Niall Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18404918810542172093noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-88537804894655125422020-04-18T09:20:49.225-07:002020-04-18T09:20:49.225-07:00Hey Sean...been a few years. Life certainly takes...Hey Sean...been a few years. Life certainly takes some unforeseen and sometimes unwelcome twists and turns. Glad to see you're back in the game. <br /><br />Sgt. Ear Achehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14637194374861657305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-21779685754947138412019-12-25T09:33:22.328-08:002019-12-25T09:33:22.328-08:00Old school dungeons typically aren't balanced ...Old school dungeons typically aren't balanced to character level - that's more a feature of modern play style that depends heavily on running a gauntlet of 'balanced encounters.' While old school dungeons do indeed become more dangerous the deeper one descends, there is no guarantee that a particular dungeon level or encounters therein are balanced to the level of the party. That's for the players to figure out. Scouting and exploration are an important part of old-school play, and a well-designed dungeon should allow players to circumvent areas they think are too difficult. Also old-school play allows players to deal with difficult encounters by means other than combat - cunning, subterfuge, and negotiation are important components of a player's skill set - especially in lethal game systems like TFT where combat should be a last resort. In short, an old-school game world is a dangerous place, and you need to keep your wits about you and choose your battles carefully. Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-81214118400739900052019-12-24T18:38:09.377-08:002019-12-24T18:38:09.377-08:00Noone has yet explained how the dungeons know what...Noone has yet explained how the dungeons know what level the characters are that are visiting the dungeons.Structured Answerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16099134783225642045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-24753849963350328382019-08-30T14:42:29.795-07:002019-08-30T14:42:29.795-07:00Exactly. I imagine that in an area saturated with...Exactly. I imagine that in an area saturated with magic, all sorts of unpredictable mutations might occur resulting in giant vermin, mutants, and monsters. One popular myth that soldiers in the Great War believed that there were bands of deserters living in No Man's Land preying on soldiers who got lost or cut off from their units. I can see fantasy versions of these deserters, hideously mutated, living in the labyrinths and preying on the unwary. I hadn't even considered summoned creatures, but you're right, they are another source of monsters; demons improperly constrained might linger still in the ruins, or perhaps gates to other dimensions might have been established and left functional...<br /><br />Thanks for the comment!Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-80305992779761556862019-08-30T11:59:18.009-07:002019-08-30T11:59:18.009-07:00I like this source of dungeons, and I think that i...I like this source of dungeons, and I think that it easily explains quite a lot of the monsters and traps, particularly if summoning and different worlds/planes/dimensions are a source of what you are summoning. You end up with a mess of monsters in your tunnels after the war, and some of them breed/live forever/mutate. Lasgunpackerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13529298072677726064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-30932294844103379352019-07-25T17:38:16.483-07:002019-07-25T17:38:16.483-07:00Thanks, Trey! TFT is a fun blend of magic and sup...Thanks, Trey! TFT is a fun blend of magic and super-science that encourages this sort of speculative world-building that I find so much fun.Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-16685496286006922442019-07-25T16:29:35.459-07:002019-07-25T16:29:35.459-07:00Solid speculation!Solid speculation!Treyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04647628467658839351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-79751676413601928232019-06-07T13:47:33.577-07:002019-06-07T13:47:33.577-07:00I think the key to any set of "downtime"...I think the key to any set of "downtime" rules would be to keep them as simple as possible in execution (basically a single die roll per player) and then set it up so they can have as much fun as possible interpreting those die rolls for their characters! The table you built is a perfect example -- "you wake up next to..." means they can really run with the description and yet ANYTHING THEY SAY sets you up for a complication to the plot or a future adventure!<br /><br />I would want downtime to be done in half an hour at most, I think, and that's with every player talking about his/her results, and me taking furious notes on what they say so I can use it "against" them later! ;-)Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-82035721882955541322019-06-07T12:00:57.011-07:002019-06-07T12:00:57.011-07:00Hi Jeff, I know what you mean. The job system in ...Hi Jeff, I know what you mean. The job system in TFT is one of the unique elements of the game that makes it stand out, but I feel like its potential is not quite realized, and I haven't figured out yet how to fully capitalize on it. You're right that the carousing rules I describe here don't provide an integrated set of guidelines for downtime, but I'm damned if I can think of an elegant way to pull this off. I have a feeling that a good set of downtime rules could serve almost as a mini-game in their own right. Thanks, as always, for your insightful comments!Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-59527424542550359842019-06-07T10:25:17.547-07:002019-06-07T10:25:17.547-07:00I remember that article -- I liked the way he did ...I remember that article -- I liked the way he did it, but I always thought there might be more scope than just carousing in taverns for that idea -- plus it needed to be put in context with the "work your day job" concept of TFT. I always liked the way En Garde! organized the "downtime" process -- you could train, you could carouse, you could do your job, you could heal, you could toady someone, you could go to your club, you could engage with a member of the opposite sex (indeed were REQUIRED to do so at least once a month), etc. Seems to me that Downtime is a missed opportunity in TFT as it currently functions, and that even adding this Carousing concept into the game doesn't get us quite far enough!Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-23660549508943818462019-06-06T11:53:31.231-07:002019-06-06T11:53:31.231-07:00Hi Stephen, Thanks for the comment; I'm glad y...Hi Stephen, Thanks for the comment; I'm glad you found your way here. If you are on Facebook and haven't joined already, there is a fantastic <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/141064653224352/" rel="nofollow"> TFT page </a> with a really friendly and active community. Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-14800258682311788412019-06-06T09:04:11.058-07:002019-06-06T09:04:11.058-07:00Hi there, I only just found this cool site.... I a...Hi there, I only just found this cool site.... I am very much following along as my wife and I (plus kids, family and friends) LOVE this game.Stephen Gilberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01704275344468801259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-1001444872387515032019-05-30T18:22:45.632-07:002019-05-30T18:22:45.632-07:00I love me some CoC too; when I'm not running a...I love me some CoC too; when I'm not running a fantasy game then it's tommy-guns and elder signs.Sean Robsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16429301144221551751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7384696295028916937.post-85097913352532028862019-05-30T12:57:46.558-07:002019-05-30T12:57:46.558-07:00You are SO preaching to the choir! I have two fav...You are SO preaching to the choir! I have two favorite RPGs, and would be very hard put to decide which I would choose if I could only have one. They are TFT and Call of Cthulhu! Been playing both for 35 years or more!Jeff V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09773383148220245208noreply@blogger.com